You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

This feeling of "magic rampage" is somewhat similar to that of Minoru Kageno when he devoured monsters.

When a human body is subjected to inhuman magic, various abnormal situations will naturally occur. Minoru Kageno is an exception whose willpower and self-control far exceed those of ordinary people, which is why he was able to forcibly utilize that magic. The residents of the other world are ordinary people who do not have this kind of talent.

Moreover, demon possession usually occurs during childhood and adolescence... Children who are not yet mature in mind and body are naturally powerless to resist such a thing.

Moreover, because the Diablo Order has been secretly promoting this idea, most people in the world believe it to be a curse, and they avoid it like the plague, with no one bothering to research a cure.

From this perspective, demonic possession is indeed a terminal illness...

If we compare it to the original work, the "Three Heroes" are actually creations of the Order... Plus, with the "enemy and ally share the same origin" trope that creators love, it can be basically confirmed that the power of the Three Heroes and the Demon Diablos is part of the same system.

—It is directly related to "purgatory"!

Theoretically, curing this malignant disease is quite simple: just control the rampaging magic and heal the body tissues that have become cancerous due to the disordered proliferation of magic.

But in reality, both of these are very difficult. After all, the other world has unique rules, and it is difficult to control magic power that is separated from the body. To cure demon possession, one must input magic power into another person's body and indirectly control and guide the magic power within that person's body...

It's much more difficult than Magic Expansion!

"You are so lucky to have met me again."

When Iori said this, she didn't look smug at all. Instead, she examined the little girl's condition with great seriousness.

"Besides me, there is probably no one else in the world who could do this."

The man's expression was incredibly serious as he concentrated, sending wisps of magic, barely perceptible, into the little girl's body. Like a ripe fruit, fine cracks appeared on the girl's skin, only to heal under the magic's influence. The black bruises, instead of shrinking, actually widened, so he continued cutting, repeating the process…

-

The elven girl spent the entire night in a daze. When the sun rose the next day, the sunlight dispelled the morning coolness, and its warmth shone on her fair and smooth face. Her consciousness gradually returned... She opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

It doesn’t hurt anymore!

She could no longer feel the pain that had enveloped her whole body before. Her body felt lighter than ever before, and she even had the illusion that she could fly with the slightest movement!

But when she instinctively raised her hand, she encountered unexpected resistance. Looking outside, she saw a head of long, gray-gold hair cascading down like a waterfall. Beatrice was kneeling on the floor, nestled beside the bed, her right hand tightly holding her only family member. Even in her sleep, she looked tense and concerned.

The little girl's movements startled Beatrice. The elven swordsman shuddered and suddenly opened his eyes. When his gaze fell upon the slightly pale but now radiant fair face, his aloof demeanor melted instantly. He excitedly hugged the girl tightly, trying his best to keep his voice calm.

"That's great...that's really great..."

"……Mother?"

"Well!"

At that moment, the girl had a strange feeling. While feeling the strength of her "mother's" embrace, she looked towards the door and saw a figure that felt incredibly familiar leaning against the door frame, watching this scene with contentment.

"Thank you... big brother?"

-

Iori is a very proactive person. Once he decided to intervene in the other world and strike at the Diavolo Cult, he immediately began to formulate a strategic plan.

First of all, the Diablo Order is deeply rooted in this world. They are present in the myths and legends of the "Demon and the Three Heroes," and it can even be said that the crisis that almost destroyed the world was orchestrated by them.

Diablo the Demon is essentially no different from an out-of-control experimental subject in an American blockbuster, while the three heroes can be compared to Alice from Resident Evil.

As the "protective umbrella company" of this world, and hidden beneath the surface, manipulating the world in the shadows like a hydra, it is not easy to uproot them completely.

Iori may be able to overwhelm the strongest people in this world in terms of combat power, but the key to this cat-and-mouse game lies in intelligence... To think that they can cooperate with the local forces of this world and use their power to deal with the cult is basically wishful thinking.

Because the Order's influence extends to various major powers, whether it's magic schools or the imperial court, they will know about any disturbances immediately.

In the original work, "Shadow" is obsessed with becoming a powerful figure in the shadows, and forcibly maintains the persona of an ordinary student in front of the public. Although this is somewhat obsessive, it is undeniably the right approach.

It was this habit of the Shadows that led the entire "Shadow Courtyard" to follow suit. Important cadres all had identities to disguise themselves in the real world, and each one was extremely convincing in their roles. Ordinary members were theoretically "dead" demon-possessed infected individuals. In other words, everyone was an "undead" with an unknown identity!

This left the cult completely clueless about what kind of force they were fighting against, only knowing the insignificant information that it was "all women."

The Order's greatest advantage is its ability to remain hidden in the shadows. The Shadow Garden, on the other hand, has drawn the other side into the same predicament as itself. Therefore, even though the Order has only been established for a short time, it has not suffered from a lack of intelligence. On the contrary, it has often been able to seize the initiative.

The original story revolves around the "protagonist," so it's naturally a bit far-fetched to apply it to reality and can't be faithfully reproduced one-to-one.

But this undoubtedly gave Iori an insight:

The local forces in this world are unreliable. To completely eradicate the cult, we need a secret organization that is completely loyal to us and also hides in the shadows!

Ordinary members are easy to recruit. Just find persecuted demon possessors, offer them salvation in their desperate moments when they are abandoned by everyone, and become their only pillar of support. They will naturally gain loyalty from the bottom of their souls.

However, building an organization requires "backbone" and "leader". The majority of ordinary members are easy to recruit, but the cadres are difficult to cultivate, which is the so-called "core team".

Just like Li Zicheng was repeatedly defeated by the government army, at his worst he had only a dozen or so riders by his side, but he was able to make a comeback every time - this is the advantage of having a core team and being able to expand rapidly.

Assembling a capable team of cadres is half the battle won... but how exactly to do it is debatable.

Beatrice is certainly a very reliable person, and her combat skills are quite outstanding, but as a straightforward and pure-hearted swordswoman, it's really a bit difficult to make her the leader of the organization...

In the original story, Shadow was lucky; the first person he saved was the all-powerful Alpha. The elven beauty acted as both father and mother to him, helping him establish the Shadow Garden. In a sense, she was the creator of the organization, rather than Shadow himself who was completely oblivious to the situation.

But Alpha is only a few years old now... Iori doesn't think he can have the treatment of a "protagonist". Apart from randomly getting a demon to possess, he is an all-rounder.

He needs someone with high intelligence, strong combat capabilities, leadership qualities, loyalty, ruthlessness towards enemies, the ability to extract intelligence from even the toughest adversaries, and extensive work experience.

Considering that demons almost always possess young girls, this person should ideally also be female...

No hesitation!

The day after Iori left "Shadow Reality" for "Red Slash," a secret court tale circulated in the Imperial Court, causing countless civil and military officials to bow in awe:

General Esdeath has been taken into the Holy King's harem and will no longer be allowed to appear in public. His Majesty has unified the military power of the entire country in this manly way!

Chapter 247: What exactly is a mastermind? (Leans back)! 4K

This is an abandoned castle, a ruin left over from an unknown era. You can still vaguely see its former glory, but now it is overgrown with weeds, and apart from the occasional small animal, there is no sign of life.

Because of the legends surrounding the dead, the local residents dare not approach this place easily, especially on dark and windy nights.

Beneath the castle lies a considerable hidden space, a collection of many secret rooms built by the original owner. Over the years, countless secrets have been buried there, but now they have all fallen silent in the dust as the glory has faded away.

However, things seem different today.

The unexpected intruders easily found the entrance to the secret passage, deciphered all the deadly traps, and even eliminated the rumored "undead"—the long-decayed battle dolls.

The intruder brazenly occupied the central room. With a wave of his hand, a chilling wind swept through, stirring up the thick layer of dust. Instead of spreading it outwards, the dust was gathered by wisps of air under precise control, along with spider webs and other debris, and compressed into a large sphere placed in a corner.

With a snap of his fingers, a streak of light flew toward the long-dried-up candlestick, and even without any fuel, it still ignited an inextinguishable flame, illuminating the dilapidated yet solemn hall.

"Although it's a bit simple, the atmosphere is pretty good, so let's choose this place for now."

Just as Iori finished tidying up, a tall figure walked out. She didn't make any moves, but she exuded a white mist-like chill that condensed into a long banquet table and twelve ice-sculpted thrones with towering chair backs in the room.

She calmly walked to the head of the table, but instead of taking the first seat, she chose the first seat on the left. Iori glanced at her but also took the first seat without hesitation.

Everyone looked at each other, clearly there was a consensus on the hierarchy of status, and there was no dispute. Everyone took their seats smoothly, filling all the seats.

They were prepared to grit their teeth and endure the cold as the tables and chairs were made of ice, but when they actually sat down, they found that it was not as uncomfortable as they had imagined. The ice was cool to the touch but not cold, and there was no sign of it melting. It felt more like crystal than ice.

This astonished the girls. Knowing how difficult it was to maintain magic outside the body, they were once again awestruck by Esdeath's unfathomable power. Iori, sitting in the head seat, nodded slightly.

Esdeath's ability to maintain overall stability while keeping the chill so subtly contained is a testament to her mastery of the art.

At least among the people Iori knows, Esdeath's achievements in the "ice" are unmatched.

For her, this was no longer a skill, but a talent fused with her bloodline and soul. Condensing ice into shape was as natural as breathing. Even if she changed environments, she could adapt with a little training. Her way of using magic was very different from that of humans in this world, but more like that of magical beasts.

Iori nodded to Esdeath, his brows slowly relaxing. His well-fitting white military coat, combined with his handsome and upright appearance, made him look gentle and charming, with a composure that did not match his youthful appearance.

Looking up, the girls sat on both sides, wearing neither Shinigami uniforms nor Arrancar uniforms, but rather modified military uniforms that suited Esdeath's aesthetic, which looked somewhat similar to Quincy.

However, all of them were predominantly black, with only Iori and Esdeath wearing white coats throughout the entire organization.

There were a total of twelve people present. Apart from Iori, Esdeath, and Beatrice, the remaining nine, including Alpha, were all healed demon possession infected individuals.

Over the past two months, Iori brought Esdeath to another world to reunite with Beatrice. After realizing that the cult was still tracking the mother and daughter, she did not choose to hide but instead went against the tide and launched a series of attacks against them.

During this process, two cult strongholds were destroyed, and eight captured demon-possessed infected individuals were rescued.

The cult seems to have been searching for suitable infected individuals to use as experimental subjects, which is why they targeted the elven girl.

Of the eight infected individuals, one was human, three were elves, and five were orcs, all around eighteen or nineteen years old. It is said that it is quite rare for someone in this age group to develop the disease—most cases occur before the age of fifteen, and generally, once the first half of puberty is over, the illness resolves itself.

That's why they were captured from different places and imprisoned together by the cult, who planned to conduct in-depth research on this... and then Iori and the others intercepted them.

After falling ill, they were all regarded as the embryos of evil. Regardless of their previous identities, they all became objects of contempt by others, and even their closest relatives regarded them as monsters... They were driven out of their homes, captured by villagers, pelted with stones by children, and chased by wild dogs. The happier their lives were before, the more desperate they felt about their current hell...

This is why, after their symptoms of demonic possession were cured, they felt not gratitude towards Iori, but rather a near-faith-like worship and longing for her.

In their eyes, Iori, the powerful yet gentle and mysterious person who saved them from the abyss, was truly a god-like being!

By the way, it might be following some kind of pattern... These women who fell ill are generally quite good-looking. Although they can't compare to Iori's confidantes, they are definitely "beauties".

Including Iori, this newly established organization, aside from anything else, has already reached an extremely high level in terms of appearance!

Unfortunately, perhaps due to their advanced age, the potential of these eight new members is not very high.

The so-called "demon possession" is essentially the result of relatively powerful magic going berserk. The healing process is not just about restoring the physical body, but more importantly, about helping the patient tame this power.

Therefore, it is only natural that after the patient recovers from the illness, their magical power will far exceed the level of an ordinary magic swordsman!

The younger ones, such as the four- or five-year-old elven girls, possess immense magical power and extremely high potential. As their bodies continue to grow, especially after they enter puberty at the age of ten, their total magical power will experience a surge.

The older members, like the newest ones, aren't necessarily incapable of making progress, but their growth potential and malleability are vastly different from those of children.

In particular, most of them have never received combat training in their previous lives, so they have to start from scratch. Their future combat power will definitely be above most magic swordsmen, but it is absolutely impossible for them to reach Beatrice's level.

—Of course, Beatrice is already a top-tier member of the surface world, and now she has also received training and modifications from Iori, making her second only to Enryu and Esdeath in the organization.

Limited by their qualifications, these people were destined to be ordinary members in the organization and could not become cadres. They understood this from the beginning and consciously sat behind Beatrice, but they still couldn't help but cast their fervent gazes at the chief from time to time.

This made Her Majesty a little unhappy.

I'm still too idle; it's time to develop a more rigorous training plan!

"This is a good place. There are magical beasts in the forest to keep us away from people, and there are ruins on the ground to cover us up. Let's make this our first stop."

"Although we have caused some damage to the cult over the past two months, like a multi-headed sea serpent, once we cut off its head, it decisively abandons a part of its body and quickly retreats, not giving us a chance to uproot it."

Esdeath spoke first. In the past two months, she had become very familiar with this other world and fully understood Iori's strategic intentions. With overwhelming strength and ruthless methods, she gained the respect of everyone, including Beatrice, and became an important leader of the organization as originally planned.

For someone who once commanded an army of hundreds of thousands, leading an elite squad is not a difficult task—Esdeath formed a hunter squad in the original work.

“Killing them one by one like this is too inefficient. We need a larger organization, and for that, we need to constantly search for and save demon possessors like you.”

First, this would unite the descendants of heroes, accumulating strength to save the world from future crises.

Secondly, those with similar experiences are guaranteed loyalty; there's no need to worry about anyone betraying the organization.

The Ice Queen seemed quite excited. After all, the empire was now stable, and it would be difficult for a battle maniac like her to find entertainment... Unexpectedly, Iori assigned her a big project.

His Majesty the Great Holy King has already said that there are plenty of evil people in this world who can be tortured, executed, and interrogated, especially that Diavolo Order. Even if all the people in it are wiped out, he will never stop Esdeath.

—Her Majesty was very pleased with this, especially after hearing that there were quite a few tough nuts to crack in the Order!

"Finally, because all of you are 'dead' in the open, it is only natural to sever your ties with the past and become sharp blades that only exist in the shadows!"

The Order may be an immortal serpent, but no monster can escape the Grim Reaper lurking in its shadows!

The crowd's faces lit up with excitement. They had all been persecuted by the cult and were convinced that the cult was a group of wicked beasts. Whether from a personal standpoint or from a sense of justice, they were destined to become the most steadfast rebels.

Moreover, there are Iori and Esdeath; powerful leaders naturally possess the charisma to unite people.

Iori leaned back lazily against the ice-carved chair, noticing a strange expression on someone's face, and chuckled softly: "Beatetori, do you have any concerns?"

"Ugh?"

The Valkyrie raised her head, and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"I……"

"No need to hesitate."

After offering a word of comfort, Iori looked at everyone and said, "You are all the same, so there's no need to be so formal."

For an organization to function well, there must be a hierarchy, but once we sit down, we share the same perspective, and everyone has the right to offer their ideas.

"Hmm... Beatrice, are you worried that your prominent identity will be a burden to everyone?"

"Yes."

The female elf with long gray-gold hair looked somewhat gloomy. The little girl beside her reached out to comfort her, which made Beatrice give a wry smile.

"The cult will probably think this child is already dead, just like all demon possessions... The identities of all the members of the organization don't need to be exposed, and the cult can't find out even if it wants to, but I'm the only one who's different."

If I appear in the city and am recognized, the cult will definitely continue to send people to investigate, and perhaps they will discover the organization's existence... I am just a burden to the organization.

When she said her last sentence, Beatrice even felt a little guilty.